I have been banking my Car Kharma for a long time now. For someone my age, I’ve had relatively few cars and, as Andy will tell you, they’ve all been “crap”. My first car was the cheapest stripped down Honda Civic. My second was one of the first Priuses off the assembly line. You know, back when they thought only poor hippies would drive one, so they had cloth seats, roll up windows and no amenities. Finally, a few years ago, I upgraded to the top of the line Prius, which Andy will tell you doesn’t mean much because “it’s still a fricken a Prius!” Yes, there were a few intervals in there where I drove company cars, but as far as the cars that have actually been mine, I’m behind the curve. As I said, I’ve been banking my Car Kharma. Because some day, I knew I’d need a truck. And I wanted THE truck. Today, I got that truck.
I’ve been doing my research and here’s what I wanted: a truck that could haul a two-horse trailer with two thousand pound horses in it. When I get horses, I see myself taking a Horse Vacation and maybe taking horses to Yosemite to ride. And if the experiences of my friends who’ve bought horses are any indication, the perfect horse for you is probably not going to be in your county. I’m prepared to go to Colorado, Arizona or Utah to find exactly the right horse. I’ll need the right truck to haul it back. So suffice it to say, I am going to need a lot of horsepower for all my horse needs. My other big criteria — since I’m 5 foot 3 –I need a truck where I can reach the pedals. In other words, a truck that doesn’t take a trucker to drive it.
Andy had a different set of criteria. But we decided the Chevy Silverado covered both of our checklists. Andy says it has diesel and something called an Allison and torque and maybe a turbo something, and Duramax and HD.
Andy showed me how the seats were completely adjustable up and down, back and forward so even someone as short as me could drive it. And it had the smoothest ride. Not like a truck at all.
Anyway, no sooner had we gotten the truck back to the barn when Andy started laying down the rules:
1. No using this truck for dump runs
2. No getting in this truck with dirty clothes or dirty shoes
3. Andy’s not sure he wants the bed messed up with hay bales and stuff
4. This truck has to be washed every week
So basically, I guess, I can only use this truck on Sunday, in my best clothes, to drive to church.
I told Andy I planned to keep the truck clean by tricking it out with those neat seat covers with pictures of the Virgin of Guadalupe on them. He wasn’t impressed. However, Andy’s truck rules may not apply to Andy.
Anyway, on the off chance that I do get to call this truck “mine” for a few hours a week, it has to be named, as all my cars have been named. My first Prius was Old Paint. My current red Prius is Old Roany.
I’m hoping we’ll go down lots of trails together. Like these guys:
I’ve always bought 10 year old vehicles that have less than 10K miles on them. (Who does that?!?!?) Last two were 4Runners and in immaculate condition until I got them. Then they were used as trucks – dump runs, dog camping, and all. grin
I finally decided I needed something w/ better gas mileage for commuting. Got a 2011 Ford Fiesta in 2012. Still used, but only 2500 miles in one year. Guess the first owner didn’t like a stick shift. ???? Anyways, one friend said, “Oh, you finally got a car that was built in the current century!” LOL! Yup. And put 32K on it in the first year… Think little Fords hold up like Toyotas? grin
What kind of horse are you looking for? Sometimes, the best one is right under your nose.
Looking for a smallish horse — maybe 14 hands — hopefully with some Morgan in it and preferably a gelding. Color isn’t really a factor. What is key is I want something absolutely bomb-proof that is trail worthy, trailers well and doesn’t shy at snakes, streams, hikers and anything else we might encounter out there. I’m thinking that might mean an older horse.
Go for the older horse, we don’t bounce as well as the young riders. If you have some free time (ha!) while commuting among the various abodes you can stop in Woodside for a little horsey adventure. We can even ride through a sculpture garden.
Wow, Chris, would love to take you up on that. I had a pony as a child but have probably forgot more horsemanship than I ever knew. Plus, I learned English, so I totally confuse Western horses.
I couldn’t tell – is that the LTZ package? Sure looks like leather and all the goodies – and IIRC that also comes with power adjustable pedals.
I know this because I had been shopping lately myself. My requirements were different, so I ended up with a Ford F150. Love it, too.
The Allison automatic in your truck is considered the gold standard of automatic transmissions for heavy duty diesel powered trucks. The Cummins in the Rams is considered the best motor, but the bad part is that it comes in the Ram. Never been impressed with the longevity of their cabs.
Enjoy your new ride! You won’t win many drag races with your baby, but you will probably be among the first to the top of most long climbs when you’re towing something. You’ll learn the difference between power and torque with a diesel!
Glad to hear from a professional that I made the right choice with the truck. I’ve never been worried about speed — I drive a Prius. But I didn’t want to be going up a steep hill with two thousand pounds of horses and trailer and suddenly feel I didn’t have enough power.
our horses are not certifiably “dude proof” but they are reliable, steady trail horses. We do distance riding. My e mail is krysia@stanford.edu if you want to give it a try. We use English style tack because we find it comfortable. We have lots of helmets!
Sounds fantastic, Chris. I’ll be in touch. Just need to get through the grape harvest first.